Strong Lensing Perturbers from the SIDM Concerto Suite

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Kong, Demao, Nadler, Ethan O., Yu, Hai-Bo
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Kong, Demao
Nadler, Ethan O.
Yu, Hai-Bo
author_facet Kong, Demao
Nadler, Ethan O.
Yu, Hai-Bo
contents Motivated by recent detections of low-mass perturbers in strong gravitational lensing systems, we investigate analogs of these objects in the Concerto suite, a set of cosmological N-body zoom-in simulations of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) with high-amplitude, velocity-dependent cross sections. We investigate characteristic halo properties relevant to gravitational imaging measurements, focusing on the projected enclosed mass and the central density slope. In SIDM, these quantities evolve continuously through gravothermal processes, spanning core-expansion and core-collapse phases, in sharp contrast to cold dark matter, where they remain nearly static after halo formation. This SIDM evolution further depends on tidal environment and merger history, which can be probed through strong lensing. We also identify simulated SIDM halos whose properties are consistent with the properties of low-mass perturbers inferred from recent observations, and we demonstrate that the core-collapse mechanism offers a compelling explanation for their observed high densities. Our results highlight the potential of strong gravitational lensing as a powerful probe of dark matter self-interactions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_01491
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Strong Lensing Perturbers from the SIDM Concerto Suite
Kong, Demao
Nadler, Ethan O.
Yu, Hai-Bo
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Motivated by recent detections of low-mass perturbers in strong gravitational lensing systems, we investigate analogs of these objects in the Concerto suite, a set of cosmological N-body zoom-in simulations of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) with high-amplitude, velocity-dependent cross sections. We investigate characteristic halo properties relevant to gravitational imaging measurements, focusing on the projected enclosed mass and the central density slope. In SIDM, these quantities evolve continuously through gravothermal processes, spanning core-expansion and core-collapse phases, in sharp contrast to cold dark matter, where they remain nearly static after halo formation. This SIDM evolution further depends on tidal environment and merger history, which can be probed through strong lensing. We also identify simulated SIDM halos whose properties are consistent with the properties of low-mass perturbers inferred from recent observations, and we demonstrate that the core-collapse mechanism offers a compelling explanation for their observed high densities. Our results highlight the potential of strong gravitational lensing as a powerful probe of dark matter self-interactions.
title Strong Lensing Perturbers from the SIDM Concerto Suite
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.01491